Twilight Highlands

Twilight Highlands
Level: 30-35 Battle Pet Level: 23 - 24
Capital(s)	Grim Batol Bastion of Twilight
Races	Wildhammer dwarf  Orc  Human  Ironforge dwarf  Jungle troll  Goblin  Ogre  Twilight dragon  Red dragon  Black dragon  Gronn Ettin
Ruler(s)	Kurdran Wildhammer   Gorfax Angerfang
Former ruler(s)	Zaela †   Cho'gall †
Major settlements	Thundermar Kirthaven Highbank Dragonmaw Port Bloodgulch The Krazzworks Vermillion Redoubt Twilight Gate
Minor settlements	Firebeard's Patrol Victor's Point Crushblow Gorshak War Camp Glopgut's Hollow
Affiliation	Wildhammer clan, Alliance, Dragonmaw clan, Horde, Twilight dragonflight, Bloodeye clan, Twilight's Hammer, Red dragonflight, Glopgut ogres, Jellyneck's tribe, Blackscale naga
Location	Northeastern Khaz Modan
PvP status	Contested territory

The Twilight Highlands (formerly just the Highlands) are found in northeastern Khaz Modan, east of the Wetlands. An idyllic coastal region, it is the location of the ancient dwarven fortress, Grim Batol, and also houses populations of Wildhammer dwarves and Dragonmaw orcs. Following the Cataclysm, the region suffered from both natural disasters and the corruption brought by the Twilight's Hammer.

The famous region of Northeron, known for its mysterious ironwood trees, was once the northern part of the Highlands.

History

Following the War of the Three Hammers in 230 BDP, the Wildhammer dwarves returned to their home of Grim Batol, however, they found that Modgud Thaurissan's curse had left an evil taint that made their fortress uninhabitable. The kingdom of Ironforge offered them a home but the Wildhammers refused; the majority of them turning north to settle in the Hinterlands, where they founded their new capital of Aerie Peak, while the rest settled in the region of Northeron, not far from their cursed former home.

After the Battle of Grim Batol in 10 ADP, what was left of the Dragonmaw orcs had fled to the area and established a crude fortress on the coast. They soon came into conflict with the Wildhammer dwarves: Narkrall Rakeclaw notably stated that the two clans have fought against each other in both Grim Batol and the Wetlands, while Colin Thundermar claimed that the Wildhammers have fought the Dragonmaw "up and down these highlands since the last war".

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

The Highlands are home to Wildhammer dwarves.

Following the Cataclysm in 28 ADP, the natural upheaval caused the decimation of the icy cliffs of Northeron. Meanwhile, Cho'gall took many of the Twilight's Hammer's cultists to the Highlands, suddenly attacking unprepared dwarves and orcs. They carved out the Bastion of Twilight, fashioning it into both the cult's base of operations and a place for its members to worship their unseen gods. As Void energies gradually bled from the spire, creeping across the terrain and mutating all life that passed beneath its shadow, the land itself warped and darkened, and the region soon became known as the Twilight Highlands. According to Artesh, the Twilight's Hammer built the citadel here because of strong elemental powers in the area.

At some point, the maw creature Iso'rath was raised up from the depths of the earth by the Twilight Cult, but it had not fully emerged from the earth. Adventurers were eventually tasked by the Earthen Ring to destroy several of its tentacles, and once within body, to destroy its brain in an attempt to kill the abomination.

During the war against Deathwing, both the Alliance and the Horde launched a counterattack against the Twilight's Hammer, hoping to secure the Highlands for themselves in the process. When their forces arrived, Deathwing briefly appeared in the skies and clashed with Alexstrasza above the Grim Batol, both Dragon Aspects fighting in a storm of fire and scales. Victorious but severely wounded in the encounter, the Destroyer ultimately vanished from the region, leaving Cho'gall and the rest of the cultists to their fate.

At the head of the Alliance forces, Kurdran Wildhammer rallied the surviving independent Wildhammer clans, resolving their various rivalries, and united them under the Alliance's banner to fend off both the cultists, and the Dragonmaw orcs in the Twin Peaks. Meanwhile, the orcs of the Horde rekindled old bonds with the Dragonmaw after Warchief Garrosh Hellscream convinced the latters to pledge themselves with promises of blood and glory.

In time, the red dragonflight came to help the Alliance at Grim Batol, where they joined forces for a unified attack on the ancient stronghold, ripping it free from the clutches of the cult. In the meantime, the Horde struck at the Bastion of Twilight; its defenses crumbling before the onslaught as the Horde's greatest champions cut their way through the citadel, until they killed Cho'gal. Both assaults broke the cult's strength in the region, but its influence endured across Azeroth.

War Crimes

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Following the Siege of Orgrimmar in 30 ADP, Warchief Vol'jin ordered his forces to search the Highlands for Warlord Zaela and her followers, with a price on her head. She and many of the Dragonmaw had in fact retreated to the abandoned Grim Batol, where they recovered in secrecy, as the Horde never thought to look for them in the cursed mountain fortress.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

During the third invasion of the Burning Legion in 32 ADP, Stormcaller Mylra mentioned that the Twilight Highlands had been overrun by demons, and the Wildhammer clan was scattered.

Fourth War and aftermath

This section concerns content related to Battle for Azeroth.

During the Fourth War in 33 ADP, an agent of the red dragonflight, Eryna, revealed that the troggs dug too deep and disturbed a previously-unknown massive cache of twilight dragon eggs below Grim Batol. Eryna claimed she could sense thousands of heartbeats below the ruined city, but had no idea how many were truly down there, or where other caches might exist.

In the Vermillion Redoubt, Void-twisted twilight dragonkin surrounded Alexstrasza, though a champion and Kalecgos arrived and helped subdue the invaders. A twilight dragon Vexiona was confronted in front of Grim Batol who, before fleeing, stated "Your pathetic dragonflights will fall. If you will not serve the master, then I will find one who will".

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

By the Year 40 ADP, twilight energy continues to seep into the once pristine landscape to mutate all it touches. Even years after the defeat of the Twilight's Hammer, the land appears no closer to healing, so the red dragons maintain their constant vigil for any stirrings of the Void. Archmage Khadgar also wrote that the Bastion of Twilight unites the dwarves and orcs of the region in their mistrust of the structure, which continues to seep its energy and corrupts the nearby area.

Official desciption

The Twilight Citadel which holds the entrance to the Bastion of Twilight, the Twilight's Hammer's stronghold.

Azeroth's inhabitants endure a lifetime of struggle and conflict. They're subject to violence from neighboring enemies and rampaging beasts at an early age, and must learn to take up arms to defend themselves against predators. Regularly forced to cope with the deaths of friends, family, and members of their tribes, clans, cities, and guilds, these scarred survivors become stronger by reinforcing their walls, banding together with new allies, and raising sharp, careful, resilient children. They adapt. They change.

Few places on Azeroth exemplify this ever-changing dynamic more than the Twilight Highlands of the Eastern Kingdoms.

The highlands have undergone constant upheaval throughout their history, with races and factions thriving, collapsing, and changing seemingly without pause. The fortress-city of Grim Batol has played host to no fewer than three potent factions: the Wildhammer dwarves, who abandoned their home after a Dark Iron curse left it uninhabitable; the red dragonflight, which was forced to fight for the Horde in the captivity of the Dragonmaw orcs during the Second War; and, of course, the Dragonmaw themselves, who were driven from Grim Batol when the red dragonflight was finally freed from their grasp.

The Dragonmaw now cling to the edges of the highlands. They're no less wild and difficult to deal with than when they ruled Grim Batol, but their knowledge of dragons and warfare is of unquestionable importance, especially amidst the chaos of the Cataclysm. The Wildhammer dwarves dwell in forested outposts among the highlands' mountains; though long friendly with the Alliance, they have only now begun to consider casting their lot in with Stormwind and Ironforge thanks to the entreaties of their cousins, the Bronzebeard clan. Even the mighty red dragonflight has suffered greatly in recent months: its members have been decimated by a frenzied, newly aggressive black dragonflight attacking relentlessly from the petrified Obsidian Forest.

Amidst this upheaval, a new power has come to possess the highlands.

Though the environment has been given many names throughout its history, it's only been dubbed "Twilight" thanks to the dominance of its current masters. The fanatical Twilight's Hammer cultists appreciate the name, but there are more functional features to the swath of land they've chosen as their headquarters. It's rimmed by massive mountain peaks that scrape at the sky like fingernails, making invasion by land nearly impossible, and the highlands' black-glass beaches ensure that marine assaults are fraught with terror; ships docking on the peninsula risk running aground.

More important to the cult, however, is the promise of worldly extinction and change that permeates the land. In the dimness of the highlands, shadows are deeper. The sun and the rest of Azeroth seem distant. The elements themselves are more pronounced: fires burn hotter; rain forces its way into the ground; and the heaves and shudders of the land call to mind some colossal being stirring beneath the earth. This doesn't frighten the members of the Twilight's Hammer; it lulls them to sleep.

Their dark work is done here in a manner that could never have been realized in Silithus. The devoted of the Twilight's Hammer train in the halls of mighty fortresses, not tiny compounds and outposts. They summon dangerous, mercurial elementals who loathe each other to the point of outright war but still pause their feuds momentarily to work towards the destruction of the other races. Outside the highlands, the cult is fractious and divided. Here, it is guided on its mission of destruction by some of the cruelest and bloodiest names in history, yet the names associated with this cabal belie the true extent of its leadership.

These dark whisperers chose the highlands as their base of operations for a reason. They can feel the presence of the Old Gods in the air and see their victory in the darkness. The shifting landscape, battling factions, and wicked elements embody the cult's vision of what its world will become as it is finally purged of life and order. The rest of Azeroth will follow the Twilight Highlands into oblivion, one way or another.

Geography

Map and subregions

Map of the Twilight Highlands after upgrading Dragonmaw Port.

Map of the Twilight Highlands before upgrading Dragonmaw Port.

The Black Breach Black Drake Roost Bloodgulch The Boneyard The Nosebleeds Crucible of Carnage The Circle of Life Crushblow The Devouring Breach Firebeard Cemetery Firebeard's Patrol Gorshak War Camp Dragonmaw Pass Dragonmaw Port Dunwald Hovel Dunwald Ruins Dunwald Holdout Peon Hideout Dunwald Market Row Dunwald Town Square The Forbidding Sea Glopgut's Hollow Grim Batol The Gullet Highbank Highland Forest Humboldt Conflagration Kirthaven The Krazzworks The Maw of Madness Iso'rath Obsidian Breakers Obsidian Forest Obsidian Lair Remains of the Fleet Ring of the Elements Ruins of Drakgor Slithering Cove Thundermar Thundermar Ruins Thunderstrike Mountain The Twilight Breach The Twilight Citadel Altar of Ascension Altar of Twilight The Bastion of Twilight Cannon's Inferno Elementium Depths Loch Verrall The Twilight Gate Den of the Disciples Twilight Shore Vermillion Redoubt Verrall River Verrall Delta Victor's Point Wyrms' Bend

Undisplayed locations Dragonmaw Gates Northeron — Instanced: The Twin Peaks

Removed locations Husk of Sor'getha

Warcraft RPG Great Bulwarks

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  Map of the Twilight Highlands in a 8.2  [Heart of Azeroth] scenario.

Instances

The Twilight Citadel in the TCG.

Instance name	Level range	Group size	Approximate run time
Grim Batol (instance)	85	5-player	Unknown
Bastion of Twilight	85+	10/25-player	Unknown

Travel hubs

Flight paths

Flight paths from The Gullet

• Bloodgulch, Twilight Highlands
• Crushblow, Twilight Highlands
• Vermillion Redoubt, Twilight Highlands

Flight paths from Vermillion Redoubt

• The Gullet, Twilight Highlands
• Hammerfall, Arathi Highlands
• Thundermar Ruins, Twilight Highlands

Flight paths from Crushblow

• The Gullet, Twilight Highlands
• Bloodgulch, Twilight Highlands

Flight paths from Bloodgulch

• The Gullet, Twilight Highlands
• Crushblow, Twilight Highlands
• The Krazzworks, Twilight Highlands

Flight paths from The Krazzworks

• Bloodgulch, Twilight Highlands

Adjacent regions

Zone Name	Faction	Level Range	Direction	Access method
Loch Modan		10 - 60	Southwest	By flying mount.
The Wetlands		20 - 60	West	By foot or by flying.
Stormwind City		N/A	N/A	Via portal in Highbank.
Orgrimmar		N/A	N/A	Via portal in Dragonmaw Port.

Portals

The portals to and from Twilight Highlands unlock after players complete a short quest chain after reaching the Twilight Highlands, concluding with  [30-35] The Way is Open for the Alliance in Highbank and  [30-35] Traitor's Bait for the Horde in Orgrimmar.

Battlegrounds

• Twin Peaks

Notable characters

Main article: Twilight Highlands NPCs

• Alexstrasza the Life-Binder
• Cho'gall the Ogre Magi
• Deathwing the Destroyer
• Garona Halforcen
• Gurgthock
• Mor'ghor
• Warlord Zaela
• Kurdran Wildhammer

Quests

See Twilight Highlands quests

Resources

• Herbalism
  •  [Cinderbloom]
  •  [Twilight Jasmine]
• Mining
  •  [Elementium Ore]
  •  [Pyrite Ore]

Wild creatures

• Stags
• Worgs
• Owls
• Gryphons
• Water elementals
• Bound elementals

Notes

• The Dragonmaw raised Ragewing the Untamed in the highlands, seemingly explaining where the brood came from during the Siege of Orgrimmar.
• When concepted, the Twilight Highlands were originally meant to be where Deathwing went after emerging from the Deathwing Scar, going through the Scar of the Worldbreaker and then ending up bisecting Grim Batol's mountain. The only remnant of that is the Scarred Terrace in the Grim Batol dungeon, where something humongous cut half of the city down, exposing red-hot stone.

Gallery

• 

  Grim Batol
• 

  Twilight Citadel
• 

  Vermillion Redoubt
• 

  Black Breach
• 

  Kirthaven
• 

  The Dragonmaw Gates closed before the release of Cataclysm.
• 

  Twilight Highlands concept art.
• 

  BlizzCon 2009 concept map, with Deathwing's scar.
• 

  Concept map of the Twilight Highlands.

Patch changes

• Patch 7.3.5 (2018-01-16): Level scaling implemented, previous zone level: 84 - 85.
  
• Hotfix (2013-12-16): Resolved an issue that caused Dragonmaw and Wildhammer NPCs to be non-attackable.
  
• Hotfix (2010-12-08): The tradeskill nodes were too dense in Twilight Highlands for Mining and Herbalism. Several have been removed.
  
• Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Added.
  

External links

• Wowhead
• WoWDB
• Wago